The Iola register., 1887-01-21
ION BROKEN PIECES.n
Sermon by Rev. T. De Witt Tai
mage, D. D.
Lessons Drawn from . Notable shipwreek
I'm the Struggle with Sin ana Doubt,
Let All Else Go and Cling 70
the Beam of the Gross.

BRoOkLTy, n. Y, Jan. 16.-Cr. TaimaCo
took for his text this morning part of the
forty-fourth verse of the twenty-seventh
chapter OF Acts: '.Some on broken pieces
Of the ship" He then said:
Never on Goodwin Sands, CT tie Sker-
ries. or Cape Eatteras, was q ship in worse
pfedicameut than in the Mediterra aneau
hurricane was the grain ship. on which two
hundred ani seventy-six passengers were
driven on the coast Of Malta, 1--WE miles
from the metropolis Of that island called
Citta Vecchia- After q two weeks tenn
pest. in which the ship was entirely dis
cbled and captain and crew had become
completely derloralizei, an old missionary
took command OF the vessel He was small,
crooasd-bsckod aad sore-eyed, according
TO tradition 1t was Paul, the only un-
scared E1an aboard He was no mora
cfraid OF E1cociydon tossing the Meditcr-
ranean Sea now up to tie gates o. Heaven,
end now sinking to the gates of hell, than
he was OF kitten playing with string.
He ordered them ell down to lake their
rations, first asking for them blessing.
Then he insured ali their lives, telling them
they would be rescued, and. so far from
losing their heads. they would not lose 50
much Of their hair as you could cut of with
one click of the scissors: aye, not 9 thread
OF il, whether i. were gray with age or
golien with youth There shall not q
hair fall from the head of Gny Of you"
Knowing that they can never get to the
desired port, they make the seq on theYour-
teenth night black with overthrown cargo,
SO that when the ship strikes it will not
strike so heavily. At dzybreak they saw
q creek. and in their exigsncy resolved to
make for it. And 50 they cut the cables,
l. iys sr,s s,v-N hot Shcv- hod
these old coats and hoisted the mainsaii,
b that they might come up with such force
as to be driven high up on the beach by
some fortunate biilow. There she goes,
tuInbling towards the rocks; now PROV
foremost; now stern foremost; now roll
ing over 10 starboarI: now wave dashe3
clear over the deck, and il seems IS il the
old craft has gone forever. Bu: up she
comes again Paul,s arm around a mast,
he cries: "All is well; God has gwen me-
all those that sail with ne"
Crash. went the PROV with such force
that il broke on the mast Crash! went
the timbers till the seas rushed through
from side to side of the vessel She parted
arlid-ships. and into thousand fragments
the vessel goes, and into the waves two
hundred and seventy-.ix immortals are
precipitatej. Some of them had been
brought up on the sea-shore and had
learned 60 swim, and with their chin Just
above the waves and by stroke Of both
arms and propulsion Of both feet they pu.
out for the beach and reach it But, alas,
for those others. They had never learned TO
swim. or they were wounded by the falling
OF the mast, or the nervous shock was too
great for them. And others had been
weakened by long seasckness.
n -r-ra b.as. ~ sT-1 Ia,
tha: piece Of a rudcer," says Paul TO one
'.Taks that fragment OF a SPAR says Paul
TO another. Take that table, Take
that image OF Castor and POLLOK Take
that plank from the lifeboat." Take any
thing ana head for the beach, What a
struggle for lie il fS2 breakers. Oh, the
nrrciless waters, how they sweep over
tie heads Of men, women and cbiiGreni
Hold On there, Almost ashore, keep up
your courage. Remem Der what Paul told
you
There. the receding ware on the beach
leaves n the sand a whole family: there
crawls Up out of the surf the centurion;
there another plank comes in with lie
ciinging fast 20 l.; there another piece OF
the shattered vessel with its freiQhtage of
In Immortal soul They must BY this time
al be saved. Yes. there comes in last of
all-tor he had been overseeing the rest
the old missionary. who wrings the water
fr5u his gray beard and cri es out: Thank
Col all are harer'
Gather then around s f-e and call the
roll Paul builds fire, and when the
bundles Of sticks begin to crackle, and,
standing and sitting around the blaze the
Passengers begin 10 recover from their
chilli and their wet clothes begin to dry
- 49,
shivering passengers, let the purser Of the
vessel 60 round and see # any Of the poor
creatures are missing. Not one Of that
crowd that were plunged into the sea BOW
il relieves our anxiety as we read: ''Sone
On broken pieces Of the ship, and so
II came TO pas. they all escaped safe to
2and-r
Having on previous occasions looked at
the other passengers, confine myself To-
day to an examination Of those who ca-ae
IN on broken pieces Of the ship. There is
sSnethinR about them taat excites in me
IN intense interest am not so much in
teressed in those that could swim. They
got ashore, ~ expected A mile OF water
Is not Q very great undertaking for . strong
swimmer, or even two miles are not But
can not stop thinking about those on
broken pieces Of the ship
The great Gospel ship is the finest vessel
Of the universe and can carry more passen-
gers than any craft ever constructed, and
you could no more wreck il than you could
wreck the throne OF God Almighty. I
wish all the people would come aboard Of
her. could not promise smooth voyage,
for oft times ii would be . tempestuous OF
Q chopped sea, but could promise a safe
arrival for all who took passage on that
Great Eastern, so called by me because its
Commander came out Of the east, the STR
Of the east badge Of His authority.
But vast multitude do not take regular
passage. Their theology is broken in
pieces, and their life Is broken in pieces.
and their worldly and spiritual prospects
are broken in pieces, and yet believe they
are going to reach the shining shore. and I
an encouraged by the experiences Of those
people who are spoken Of in the text:
s-Some on broken pieces Of the ship"
One object Of this sermon is TO encourage
Ill those who can not take the whole sys-
TEN Of religion Is we believe Il bu. who
really believe something, TO come ashore
On that one plank. / do not underrate the
value os great theological system, but
where in all the Bible is there any thing
that says: Believe in John Calvin and thou
shalt be saved; or, believe in -Aruinius
and thou shalt be saved; or, believe in the
Synod Of bort snd thou shalt be savs3: or,
believe in the Thirty-uine Articles and
thou shalt be saved. A man may be Or
thodcx and go to hell, or orthodox and 20
% Heaven The man who N the deep AZ
lection OF his heart accepts Christ is saved,
and the man who does not accept Him is
lost
believe in both the Heidelberg and |
Westminster cstecndsm, and / wish you all |
die, but you may believe in nothing they |
contain except the one idea that Christ !
came to save sinners, and that you are one |
of taem, and you are instantly rescued. II |
Won can come in on the 1rand old sh.-. z